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>>> the ideas the 90s open source movements were founded on are far from what we see today Are they ? GPL is about protecting users' freedom. It's still a vali
by wiz21c 9y ago
>>> the ideas the 90s open source movements were founded on are far from what we see today
Are they ? GPL is about protecting users' freedom. It's still a valid aim to me, probably even more so.
What has changed is that the web is much bigger than the desktop and so the GPL has less ground to grow on, so its effect may have been weakened. But only the effect, not the goal.
(I 100% admit I am more an idealist than a pragmatic)
- Nomentatus 9y agoBy users' freedom you don't mean users who own patents, since they stand to lose their property under GPL restrictions. (Google Implied Patent Grant if that doesn't ring a bell.) So most important corporations, etc. Copyleft was a very clever idea; but deciding to go to war against all intellectual property was a step too far. Immense billions have been spent already replacing GPL software with truly free software under a freer, more liberal license.